On Fridays you may see tweets tagged with the #ff or #followfriday hashtags. These status updates include mentions of one or more Twitter users of interest.  If you’re looking for folks to follow, you can look for #ff in your connections’ tweets or you can search for #ff to see who’s being recommended throughout Twitter.

Some people use #ff to acknowledge anyone they’ve interacted with throughout the week. They may have had a conversation or perhaps been retweeted by that person. Sometimes they send thanks for being included on a list and other times it’s just a shout out to favourite people.

Here are some Twitter tips for the most effective Follow Friday tweets:

1. Use the shorter #ff hashtag to save space.
2. Tag just one or two people in your tweet.
3. State why you think they should be followed.
4. Be kind and complimentary but not don’t go overboard.
5. Tweet less than 120 characters so it can be easily retweeted.

No matter what social media tool you choose, you’ll want to share content with your community. The content you generate falls into two broad categories – created content and referenced content.

Content can take many forms including text, audio, and video.  Pieces of created content are those items you make which can include blog posts, white papers, podcasts, viral videos and so on.

The message in each piece of created content is original to you and your brand.  Meanwhile, referenced content has been created by someone else but is still relevant to your audience.

Often, referenced content includes shared links and quoted excerpts.  I recommend a blend of created and referenced content in your social media efforts. Experiment with the ratio that works best for your community.